When The Stars Go Blue
by regolithheart
Summary: After a year of living on the Rampion and traveling the world, Cress and Thorne are even more in love than ever before. / A series of one-shots full of fluff and kisses between my OTP.
1. Chapter 1

The soft clank and hum of the air purifier kicking into gear jostled Cress awake. After a year of living on the Rampion, she had gotten used to all of the little noises that emitted from the ship, but every now and then she was still surprised at the odd noise, especially when the rest of the world was silent.

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she looked around, a little disoriented. She did not remember making it to her bedroom last night and as she pulled the covers off herself, she realized that Thorne must have carried her there after she fell asleep at the console. She tugged on a curl and smiled to herself.

Cress walked softly to her door and checked the time display on the comm panel. 6:04 A.M. Earthen Time. It was earlier than she normally woke up but today was different and she took her time as she gathered her things to shower. She examined her dresses one by one and stopped when she got to the tiny purple dress patterned with little white flowers. She thumbed the soft, worn cotton and couldn't help but remember the day Mistress Sybil had given it to her.

It had been the week of her thirteenth birthday and Cress was so touched that Mistress had remembered that she almost cried. She didn't though, knowing the distain Sybil had for displays of emotion, but after Sybil had taken the routine vial of blood and left, Cress had put on the new dress and twirled around her satellite in delight. It had taken Cress a full year to realize that Mistress Sybil had not remembered her birthday at all — that it had simply been a coincidence. Still, she loved the dress and wore it often, especially when she would spend entire days dreaming about a different life than the one she had.

She had worn that dress when she day-dreamed about being adopted by a nice Earthen couple who didn't care that she was a Lunar Shell. She had worn it when she saw an Earthen space-cruise ship float by and hoped with all her might that they would see her tiny satellite and come rescue her. She was convinced that they would let her live on the ship and be apart of the crew and eventually, she would have a one act show and croon old Earthen songs to the happy people on vacation while they laughed and danced.

She had even selected that dress on the day she was finally being rescued from her satellite, exactly one year ago. She was surprised it had survived the trek through the unforgiving desert, rough nights of fevered dreams, and being kidnapped, but it had made it through just like she had.

Cress ran her fingers softly along the wisp of lace that lined the Peter Pan collar of the dress and pulled it off of its hanger. It was by far the least impressive article of clothing in her closet, especially when the rest of her clothes had been gifts from Emperors and Queens, made by royal seamstresses and princesses. Some items were purchased from fancy shops in Paris and Milan and others were fashioned from worn button-down shirts from her boyfriend.

Her boyfriend.

She grinned.

Even now, the word seemed foreign to her. They never did label themselves as such, but she suppose he was her boyfriend. It had not mattered to her what they called themselves because she knew that she was his and he was hers. Just like the moon and the stars belonged in the sky, she and Thorne belonged together on the Rampion.

Cress gathered her things and quietly tip-toed towards the bathroom. She stopped for a moment just outside the captain's quarters and pressed her ear against the door. The cool metal kissed the shell of her ear and sent a shiver down her spine. She bit her lip to keep from yelping and tried again, this time more careful to avoid pressing her skin against the cold metal.

On the other side of the door, she could hear the faint sound of snoring and she smiled to herself as she pictured Thorne sprawled out, hair ruffled, his blanket bunched up at his feet and threatening to fall off the bed completely. She placed a soft kiss onto her index finger and then pressed it against the metal door between them before tiptoeing away.

* * *

The bathroom steamed up quickly as Cress set the temperature to as hot as she could stand. She let the heavy droplets hit her and she shivered in delight. She was always mindful to keep her showers under ten minutes, but today she would allow herself the indulgence.

She grabbed the pink bar of soap that sat on the ledge protruding out from the metal wall and lathered it up in her hands as the scent of roses and mint wafted towards her. She inhaled deeply and was transported back to the little Parisian soap shop that Thorne had tracked down on a recent trip to France. He had held her hand tight as he pulled her down winding street after winding street, stopping only once to buy her a bouquet of daffodils that she had been admiring while they waited for a hover to pass so they could cross a cobblestone street.

Inside the shop, Thorne had made her smell every single bar of soap and questioned her over which one she thought complimented his "manly musk" the best. Stifling plenty of laughs and eyerolls, she had indulged him and after thirty minutes of sniffing soap that smelled like orange peel and eucalyptus, cardamon and pine, grapefruit and gardenias, Thorne had presented her with a paper bag filled with not soaps for him, but bricks the color of honey, fiery sunsets, and vibrant lilacs. All for her.

As Cress lathered up her hair, she could picture Thorne's eager smile and the way he brushed off the sweet gesture by telling her she didn't have an excuse to steal his soap anymore. She smiled as she dipped her hair under the shower head and felt a curtain of suds slide down her face.

She began humming, softly at first, as she washed the shampoo out of her hair. But as it happened so often with her while she stood under the shower, her hums turned into words and soon she was belting out one of her old Italian operas — the one she had sung what felt like a million years ago in a tiny hotel bathroom in Kufrah. She half expected Thorne to charge into the bathroom then, just like he had when she finally reached the climax of the song and her lungs were threatening to burst.

She was glad when he didn't though, because she would have yelled at him now as she had back then. Still, she felt her cheeks grow warm at the memory and how vulnerable the two of them had been in that moment.

She turned the shower off and while the last droplets of water fell from the shower head, she let the final notes of her song echo around her. She wrung the water from her hair and wrapped a warm, fluffy towel around herself, mentally thanking Thorne for insisting they install a towel warmer in the bathroom.

Cress stepped to the mirror and wiped away the steam so she could examine herself. The face looking back at her was one that she was only finally getting used to seeing. While Sybil had never exactly starved her, she hadn't realized how wonderful real food could taste. Her cheeks had a healthy glow to them and she was surprised to see how her body had filled out. She had once been jealous of Scarlet's dangerously sexy curves and although she knew she'd never obtain curves like that, the contours she could trace with her eyes made her smile slyly.

Feeling slightly embarrassed at checking herself out, she picked up a comb and began to work the knots out of her hair. Twisting the damp ends around her fingers, she only then noticed how long it had gotten. It was now sitting just past her shoulders and she wondered if she should get a trim. It would be a while before their schedule had them returning to Luna, but maybe she could ask Iko for a quick cut while they were there.

Realizing her hair was long enough for it, Cress began to pull it into a French braid and let the end of it drape over her shoulder.

Finally deciding she had spent way too long in the bathroom, she quickly dressed and made her way to the cockpit, stopping outside Thorne's door for just a moment before moving on. She couldn't make out any sounds, but the Rampion was beginning its systems checks for the day and the various hums and clangs that accompanied it began in earnest. If Thorne was still asleep, he wouldn't be for long.

Sure enough, as soon as she sat down in her co-pilot seat and pulled up their delivery schedule for the day, she heard heavy footsteps down the metal corridor and three minutes later, the distant sound of a shower turning on.

Cress double checked their schedule and their coordinates to make sure they were on time, she pulled up their cargo manifest and made notes of items they needed to stock up on. She placed orders for cereal, coffee, and rice to be picked up at their next stop and because they were going to have a day off in Tokyo next week, she began searching places for them to visit. Perhaps she could talk Thorne into visiting one of the temples with her or even splurging on a hotel room complete with a Japanese soaking tub. The idea of having a leisurely soak in a tub made her lean back in her seat and sigh.

She sat up, realizing that the shower was still running and smirked while adding _refill water reserves_ to their list of things that needed to be done at the next port. While she worked, she hummed, and soon enough she was so engrossed with her activities that when a quiet beep sounded on one of her screens, she jumped, nearly a foot out of her seat. She quickly turned off the alarm and looked up, her eyes adjusting to the light outside the large viewing windows of the cockpit, just in time to see the blazing sun creep along the curve of the Earth.

She watched as fiery orange light caressed the swirling clouds below her and the clouds blushed pink from the sun's touch. She watched as sparkling yellow lights began to blink out, one-by-one, to be replaced with a golden curtain that coaxed out hues of green and blue from the surface below.

Cress sighed.

No matter how many times she watched this, she would never get tired of it. She loved how the light slowly revealed swaths of Earth that she was dying to visit and she could spend hours daydreaming of all the adventures she and Thorne would have. As the Rampion rotated with Earth's gravitational pull, slowly, the great Sahara desert crept out of the shadows.

Cress stood up, standing on her tip-toes to take in as much of the vast ocean of sand as she could. Her eyes dragged across the rolling dunes and she could still recall the roughness of the sand and the merciless heat that had once surrounded her. She tugged on the end of her braid, surprised that the habit still remained, and let out a long, slow breath.

Today was the day.

It had been exactly three hundred and sixty-five days since she had first met Thorne, when he had come to rescue her from her satellite and they had plummeted to Earth and survived a crash landing, all before proper introductions had been made.

She tugged on her hair again.

She could hear banging in the galley and realized that Thorne was done with his shower. She wondered if he had remembered what today was. Sure, he had experienced the horror of the fall and the desert alongside her, but perhaps to him, it was just another harrowing adventure he lived to tell. Or perhaps the experience had been so terrifying that he tried to erase it from his memory all together. She wouldn't have blamed him. She could still remember the horror etched on his face when they had realized he had lost his eyesight. She remembered him cursing in frustration when he didn't know she could hear. And, as silly as it had been, she could still remember the aching pang in her heart when she had deliriously confessed her love for him and how he didn't believe her, wouldn't believe her.

She didn't blame him, of course. Even though they had shared the same experience, it had been much more to her. It had been her first day on Earth, her first day out of her satellite in seven years, her very first day of freedom.

She saw the blinking light flashing on her console before she heard Thorne's voice on the Rampion's intercom.

"Good morning, Darlin'. Could you come give me a hand in the galley?"

Cress smiled. "Sure thing, Captain."

She got up from her seat, stretched, and then walked along the quiet corridor towards the galley, wondering what on Earth Thorne could require assistance with. They had agreed a long time ago, after many failed attempts of cooking scrambled eggs without Scarlet's assistance, that they would stick strictly to a cereal diet, at least when breakfast was concerned.

When Cress entered the kitchen, her lips quirked into a smile and she raised an eyebrow, looking at Thorne in a pressed button-down shirt, sleeves rolled and tails tucked into a neat pair of khakis. He was casually sitting on one of the counters while the heel of his left foot tapped gently against the cabinets below. He had one of his signature dimpled grins spread wide on his face and…

Cress had to stifle a laugh. "Why are you wearing that bandana?"

Thorne's head quirked up. "Ah, there you are!" His grin remained as he waved her over.

She closed the distance between them. "What's going on?"

He held out his hand in front of him, his fingers wiggling tentatively, waiting for hers. "I needed a hand."

She smirked, obliging him, and when he felt her hand lay on top of his, he tugged her towards him. She squeaked at the sudden movement, but his free hand caught her by the waist and steadied her.

"Much better." He grinned and she had to agree.

"What's going on?" she asked, feeling flushed all of a sudden, very aware of their closeness.

Thorne ran the pad of his thumb across her lips. "Good morning." His voice was barely above a whisper.

"Good morning," she replied, just as quietly.

His finger ran up the delicate line of her jaw. "Happy anniversary," he said.

"You—you remembered?"

He looked as though he could hardly contain a laugh. "Of course I remember the day I heroically came to your rescue."

She rolled her eyes, annoyed that he couldn't see past his blindfold, and attempted to pull her hand away.

He tugged her closer. "Of course I remember the day you fell into my life, quiet literally." This time he did chuckle and she had to humor him and giggle along with him, even though she did roll her eyes once more and this time, poked him in the chest for good measure.

He took a hold of the hand that poked him and brought it down to meet her other one. His thumbs rubbed delicate circles against the inside of her wrists and she felt her cheeks growing warm. Thorne gulped then and licked his lips. The air of confidence around him had somehow evaporated.

"Actually, Cress…" he paused. "I could never forget the day you changed my life."

"You changed my life, too," she whispered. She wondered if he could feel her pulse quicken underneath his fingertips.

Thorne smiled. "The truth is, Cress, that I was blind even before I met you and it wasn't until I did that I finally began to _see_."

She squeezed his hands and felt him squeeze back.

"You've made me see what sacrifice is, you've made me see what a hero is." He swallowed. "You've made me see what love—real love, _true_ love—is."

Cress felt a tear roll down her cheek and it was proof that he knew her too well because he lifted a finger to brush it away and she wondered if he really could see behind that blindfold.

"You made me see… _everything_ in lights and colors I've never ever experienced before."

Her hands began to tremble. She could barely hold back her tears anymore.

Thorne smiled. "And you did that all by being you. Beautiful, smart, silly, adorable, hot-headed, brave, amazing, you." He cupped her face in his hands, pulling her even closer, his knees resting on either side of her now. He leaned in to softly kiss her eyelids, brushing away the tears that were threatening to fall with his lips.

Cress reached up to tug the blindfold down, revealing Thorne's sharp blue eyes, twinkling at her. He smirked then, clearly amused at how she was reacting to his speech and she wanted to poke him again for being so pleased with himself at turning her into a basket case. But what he had said was true because she had felt it too, every word he spoke was as though he were pulling them straight from her heart.

He reached up to tug softly on the end of her braid. "Well, this is new."

She blushed.

"I like it," he said before lifting the end up to kiss it softly.

She sighed and pressed into him, as if her legs had suddenly become jell-o.

He leaned in, resting his forehead against hers, nudging his nose against hers. She felt the warmth of his arms wrapping around her, his hands resting against the small of her back, and then a soft tug as if their bodies weren't already close enough.

"I love you, Cress."

Her heart ached because it was so full. "I love you too, Captain."

He smiled.

"Thorne," she added with a whisper.

His smile became a smirk and then he pulled her into a kiss that made her see stars.

* * *

 **AN:** I had some Cresswell moments bouncing around in my head, so I hope you liked it. I could _possibly_ be persuaded to write more... This one-shot is dedicated to the wonderful Mother of Robins™ herself, **zissa** , who has been kind enough to beta some things for me as well as finish her beautiful fic, Carswell's Guide to Family Reunions. I highly recommend it if you haven't read it yet.


	2. Chapter 2

NEW BEIJING PALACE. ETA: 72 MINUTES.

The comm panel just inside the door flashed blue and Cress read the message twice before tapping it away. She sighed, placing her hands on her hips and swept her eyes across her room.

"Now what am I supposed to do?" she muttered to herself as she examined her surroundings. Her bed was already made and the faint scent of citrus that hung in the air indicated that stacks of freshly laundered clothes and towels were tucked inside their proper drawers.

She glanced at the comm panel one more time. It was an odd feeling to have absolutely nothing to do. On any other day, she and Thorne would have already docked at their scheduled port and made their antidote deliveries, refueled, loaded any additional cargo, and restocked their pantry.

On any other day, they would already be walking hand-in-hand along crowded cobblestone streets or along winding park paths, or bustling urban markets, deciding which local delicacy they were going to try for dinner. Thorne would be arguing passionately for his choice and then concede, allowing her to pull him along to whichever restaurant or cafe she thought afforded the best view of that particular city.

On any other day, they would be precisely on schedule and they certainly would not be hovering in Earth's orbit, waiting for landing clearance.

Cress walked over to the small viewport in her room and pushed herself onto her tiptoes. No matter how many times she looked at it, she would never get tired of seeing the way the Earth glowed beneath them. It still filled her with awe whenever she took in the swaths of blue and green and she had to remind herself that there were billions of people down there. It always put things into perspective.

She supposed she would just have to accept that no matter how masterfully she and Thorne had perfected their routine, these hiccups would arise and she would just have to roll with the punches. Besides, this change in their schedule gave them an extra day in New Beijing and she was excited to catch up with Kai and sleep in a real bed.

It would be their first time back to New Beijing Palace since she and Thorne had helped Cinder kidnap the young emperor and officially kickstarted the Lunar Revolution. Cress was looking forward to getting a tour of the palace and having time to explore it, rather than running for her life through its countless corridors.

She shivered as a jolt of adrenaline ran up her spine.

Sometimes memories of what she had been through would come flooding to her all at once and if it hadn't been for the scars still left on her body, she might have thought they were from a dream she had once had.

She walked to her closet and plunged her hands into the middle of the row of dresses, parting them with her arms. She stuck her head in and a moment later, emerged, pulling out a dark blue dress made of silk and chiffon, studded with twinkling rhinestones. Its hem was torn and dirty.

Cress stood on her tiptoes and hung the dress on the hook outside of her closet door. She sank onto the floor in front of it and ran her hand down the length of the skirt, the pads of her fingertips bumping against the occasional jewel.

Part of her felt silly for holding onto that dress, especially now when she had so many others. Others that didn't look like they belonged in the Rampion's incinerator. But another part of her, the sentimental part of her, couldn't allow herself to throw it away. It was a reminder that she had been brave. That she had stood up against Mistress Sybil, of all people, and prevailed. That she had experienced the most romantic moment of her entire life in the arms of the man she loved.

Cress sighed.

She had not looked at the dress since she had taken it off exactly a year ago and hung it up in the back of her closet, although she had thought about it often. She knew she was being ridiculous, but sometimes she lamented the fact that Thorne never got a chance to see her in that dress. It had been the first time she had felt beautiful.

She picked at the skirt and thought about how she should have taken better care of it. She smoothed down the chiffon that puckered and clung to itself and pushed back the few strips of silk that had torn and frayed.

She closed her eyes and let herself recall that moment on the palace rooftop when she had thought all hope was lost and that she was going to die. Her skin erupted into goosebumps as she remembered the way Thorne had wrapped his arms around her waist and dipped her back, cradling her in his arms and then…

A knock rattled against her door.

"Cress, are you in there?"

She jumped and pressed a hand against her racing heart. "Y—yes?"

A faint beep sounded just outside the metal door and then it slid open, revealing Thorne who was leaning against the door frame, a lazy grin across his lips. "There you are."

"Hi, Captain. Do you need me?"

A pause before the dimple in his right cheek revealed itself. "I was just checking up on you." He stepped inside her room and finally tore his eyes away from her face to take a look at what she was doing. "Why are you sitting on the floor?"

"Oh…I was just…"

Thorne bowed slightly and held out his hand to her. She smiled before slipping her hand into his, allowing him to pull her up to her feet.

"What have you been doing in here?" He asked. HIs face was so close she could smell the faint hint of his aftershave, mint and pine, and it made her feel slightly weak in the knees.

She bit her lip and threw a sideways glance at the dress hanging against the wall. He cocked his head to see what she was looking at and his eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"Hey, I haven't seen this dress before." He took a step closer to examine it and when he ran a finger against the silk of the bodice, his lips curled into a curious smile. He closed his eyes and ran the rest of his fingers against the fabric. Cress watched his face as his knitted eyebrows loosened, the realization beginning to dawn on him. Eyes still closed, he ran both hands down towards the skirt and grabbed two fistfuls of the chiffon before letting it go just as quickly, as if the touch shocked him. His voice was oddly quiet when he spoke. "I didn't know you kept it.

"I guess I'm just a bit sentimental," she confessed, ducking her head and avoiding his eyes.

He let out a soft chuckle and reached over to give her knuckles a nudge with his. "I think it's sweet," he whispered.

Her heart fluttered at his gentle touch and the softness in his voice.

Thorne turned his head to take another look at the dress and his usual voice returned, full of honey and spice. "You know…I never got to see you in it." When he turned back, his eyes were twinkling with a mixture of mischief and something she couldn't quite place. "You should put it on."

She flushed. "Now?"

His grin was wide. "Why not? We still have some time before we're scheduled to land."

Cress hesitated, but the thought of him finally seeing her int that dress made her feel giddy. She studied his face and finally gave in when he wiggled his eyebrows at her. She wanted to both kick him and kiss him for teasing her, but she settled for nodding her head. "Turn around."

"What? Are you embarrassed to take your clothes off in front of me?" He asked, his mouth turned up into one of his devious dimpled grins. He opened it to say something else, but the way her eyes narrowed made him close it and he turned around to face the door.

Her cheeks flushed as she watched his back for a moment, waiting for him to try and sneak a peek, but his stance was tall and unwavering.

Grabbing at the cotton dress she was wearing, she pulled it over her head, quickly folding it and placing it onto the bed behind her, her eyes fixed on Thorne's back the whole time. She shivered from the sudden exposure of her bare skin and crossed her arms over her chest before stepping in front of the blue dress. She reached over and thumbed the chiffon of the skirt once more.

To her right, Thorne cleared his throat which made her jump, but when she glanced over, he remained still as a statue.

Cress reached up and slipped the dress off its hanger. It felt heavier than she remembered. She held the back of the dress open and stepped into it. As she pulled the dress up and held the bodice against her front, she blushed.

She turned her back towards him and her voice was barely above a whisper when she spoke. "Um…I need some help."

She heard him shift behind her and braced herself for the feel of his hands pulling the zipper up, but it didn't come. Maybe he hadn't heard her. She opened her mouth to speak again, louder this time, but then she felt the faintest breath against the back of her neck.

Perhaps she was imaging it, but she could have sworn she could feel the heat of his hands hovering above her skin. Her cheeks burned from his closeness and the anticipation of his touch and when she didn't think she could take the waiting anymore, she felt the pad of two fingertips running ever so gently down her spine, leaving a trail of fire in its wake.

Her breath hitched. She was grateful when half a second later, she felt the zipper being gently pulled upwards.

Thorne had a bit of trouble figuring out how to hook the clasp at the top and her lips couldn't help but curve into a smile.

Finally, when he was done, she felt a soft kiss being pressed into her bare shoulder and she knew for certain that her cheeks were bright red. She felt a strong arm wrap around her and then she was being spun around, exactly like she had been on the palace rooftop so many moons ago. This time though, when she was pressed against him, there was no blindfold to hide his eyes from her and the twinkle of them made her glad his arms were keeping her up.

"You look beautiful," he whispered, his eyes never leaving her face.

She couldn't hold back the smile that pushed against her lips and when he dipped her back even further, she felt giddy with the promise of his lips against hers. She closed her eyes as he closed his and just as he leaned in to kiss her, an even-toned female voice spoke up.

"Captain, New Beijing Palace has cleared the Rampion for landing. Docking code 00120."

Thorne pressed his forehead to Cress's and she could feel his chuckle vibrate against her. "To be continued?" Without waiting for her to respond, he stepped back, pulled her upright and held her hand as they jogged towards the Rampion's cockpit, Cress's dress swishing against her legs.

Her skirt pillowed around her when she sat down in her co-pliot's seat and began typing in the re-entry protocols as Thorne took hold of the thruster controls. She barely had enough time to reach for her seat belt and buckle herself in before the ship broke free from its orbit and pierced the Earth's atmosphere. She brought up the shade shields as the light outside the viewing windows turned from indigo to an almost blinding cerulean.

Thorne's knuckles were white as he griped the controls and his whole body leaned forward, guiding the ship through the troposphere. Suddenly the rattling stopped and they were surrounded by a pink glow.

"Oh!" Cress exclaimed as she brought up the shields. She leaned forward to catch the setting sun hugging the horizon and to take in the orange stained rooftops of the buildings below.

Thorne grinned and flipped the switch on the radio. "This is the Rampion CAT-1 to New Beijing's control tower. Are we clear for landing?"

There was a moment of static and then a reply. "Welcome to New Beijing, Captain Thorne. We're handing you over to palace security. Enjoy your stay."

"Palace security?" Cress asked.

Thorne simply winked at her.

A moment later, a different voice came on the radio, this time much clearer. "Rampion, this is New Beijing Palace Security Command. You are clear for landing."

"Excellent. Copy that." Thorne grinned and began punching the landing codes into the console.

Cress watched him curiously but was soon distracted by the view outside the windows as they made a large arc around New Beijing Palace. Thorne banked left and she caught a breathtaking view of the sunset glimmering off the golden roof tiles.

As they continued to get closer and closer to the palace, however, Cress shook her head. Something wasn't right. "Where are we going? We passed the docks."

Thorne's response was a grin and yet another wink.

Cress's heart pounded as they got increasingly closer to the palace and she nearly yelped when she thought they might smash into one of the white towers, but unfazed, Thorne banked at just the right moment. She let out a sigh of relief and he looked over at her, hands gripping onto her armrests.

"Hey! Give me some credit."

"Sorry!"

"Do you really think I'd like Kai's palace hurt my precious Rampion?"

Cress rolled her eyes and snorted.

Thorne let out a hearty chuckle. "Come on. We're here."

Cress sat up straight and looked out the window. It looked as though they were hovering right above the middle of the palace. "What's going on?"

Thorne flipped a few more switches, easing the thrusters down, and they landed with a sturdy thud. He looked over to her and smirked. In one smooth move, he released his harness and leapt out of his seat ready to take her hand.

She awkwardly tugged at her harness, now tangled with her skirt and she let out a frustrated sigh. Thorne leaned in and placed a quick kiss on her brow as he reached for her buckle and released her from the chair. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her forward.

"Come on. I'm _starving_. Darla, lower the—."

Cress's feet grounded to a halt and Thorne stumbled when she tugged his arm back. "Wait! I should change."

He took his time looking her over and when his eyes finally met hers, they twinkled. "I'd say you are appropriately dressed."

She tugged on his hand again, this time a little harder. "Thorne."

Chuckling, he stepped in front of her and placed a kiss at the corner of her mouth. "Trust me."

"But, my feet!"

Thorne took a step back and looked down to see her bare toes drumming against the metal grates of the floor panels. He ran a hand through his hair and let out an exasperated sigh, but there was amusement in his voice when he spoke. "How many times have I told you, you gotta wear shoes. There could be debris in the cargo hold…or a crate could come tumbling down!"

She opened her mouth to retort, then closed it, frowning. She glanced at the pair of brown boots sitting next to the opening of the cockpit—a miniature version of Thorne's.

Thorne stepped away to retrieve them and then sank onto his knees in front of her. She placed her hands on his shoulders to balance herself as she slipped her feet into the boots, one by one. She frowned the entire time he tightened the laces. She hated those boots and how heavy they were, how they made her feel like she was being strapped down to the ground.

When Thorne was done with her shoes, he looked up and chuckled at her frown. He tugged her chin down so that he could reach up and give her a kiss and before she knew it, he was on his feet and once again, tugging at her hand. "Come on. You'll forget about the shoes in ten seconds. Darla, lower the ramp."

A click, a hiss, and a groan of metal came from the far side of the cargo bay as the ramp lowered down to confirm Cress's suspicion that they were, in fact, sitting on one of the palace's roofs. It took her two steps down the ramp's slope to realize that they weren't just on any of the many rooftops, but the one at the top of the medical wing, the one where they had barely escaped with their lives. Her steps slowed and she wasn't so sure it was the boots that made her feet drag.

"What are—"

"Come on." Thorne squeezed her hand and tugged her onward. He led her down the ramp and tugged softly again when they stepped off the ramp, guiding her around the ship.

She stopped.

There, no more than fifteen feet ahead of them sat a small table draped in linen with two chairs facing each other.

Cress took two tentative steps closer.

The table was set for two, with silverware that glittered despite the fading light, and flowers, and plates fit for an emperor.

Cress felt two warm arms wrap around her from behind and a whisper on her neck. "Do you remember what today is?"

She nodded. How could she forget? It had been the single, most romantic moment of her entire existence. Or that's what she had thought at the time.

"You did this?"

"It took some persuading—a lot of persuading actually—but I wore Kai down. What can I say? I'm great at negotiating. One of my many skills." Thorne cleared his throat. "Do you like it?"

"You did this." Cress spun around to face him, forgetting about the heavy boots she was wearing and if Thorne's arms hadn't already been wrapped around her, she would have fallen backwards.

"Whoa there." He cradled her, pulling her close to him. "I'm guessing you like it?"

She reached up to run a delicate finger down the side of his face, feeling him quiver as her touch ran down his jaw. He did this for her. He had remembered. He was looking into her eyes and she had on the dress that had made her feel like a princess in the arms of her prince. There was only one more thing that could make that moment perfect.

"Kiss me," she breathed.

A flash of a dimple was all that she saw before his lips were on hers—soft at first, and then coaxing. A breeze picked up around them, making her skirt whip around their legs and Thorne continued to kiss her exactly like he had before, like they had all the time in the world. She twirled her fingers in his hair and the way the pads of his thumbs ran ever so softly against her shoulder blades made her realize that they did. He pulled her body even closer, lifting her so that only her toes touched the ground.

For the first time, the boots didn't bother her anymore because she was weightless.

* * *

 **AN:** I'm back! And I hope you liked this new installment. Thanks, once again, to the lovely zissa for beta'ing and letting me use her as a sounding board.


	3. Chapter 3

Sunshine shone through the high arched windows of Cress's bedroom. She had forgotten to close the velvet curtains the night before and now the golden light pierced the large crystal chandelier in the center of the room, peppering it with rainbow confetti. The shards of light danced across Cress's face, causing her to stir.

She shifted in her bed and for the split second before her brain could wake up, panic set in. Her eyes fluttered open. Instead of the smooth grey walls of the Rampion, she was greeted by a lofty room swathed in ivory and lavender, filled with furniture sitting on spindly golden legs. Cress relaxed when she remembered she was at Artemisia Palace and all of her friends were down the hall in their own equally extravagant rooms.

She and Thorne had arrived in Artemisia late the night before. A last minute schedule shuffle had them scrambling to finish a delivery before they could head out to Luna. For the past year, the Rampion had made dozens of trips back and forth between Earth and Luna, but this trip was special. There was nowhere else imaginable they would rather be than with their friends on the one year anniversary of the Lunar Revolution. They wouldn't have missed it for the world.

Everyone had stayed up to greet them at the docks and to share a midnight dinner, despite the fact that most of them had arrived to Artemisia earlier that day and half of them had early morning meetings and a full day of events ahead of them. Laying there now, Cress couldn't remember how she even made it to her room, let alone changed into pajamas and tucked into bed.

She let her head sink back onto her pillow and sighed. If she hadn't known any better, she could have sworn she was resting on a cloud draped in silk. She let herself stretch languidly and took stock of the room she did not have a chance to examine the night before.

It was a happy surprise when she realized it was the same room she was given after the war, the same room where she had healed and her scars had begun to fade.

Memories of long, leisurely turns around the gardens and soft, goodnight kisses came rushing back. There was secret hand-holding under the dinner table and not so secret smiles shared across the drawing room. There was the evening when Thorne kissed her under the stars when they slipped away to a private balcony, only to realize it wasn't private at all and instead, gave their friends a pre-dinner show. Cress blushed now, remembering the whoops and cheers from across the court yard, but that hadn't embarrassed Thorne one bit. He had simply bowed graciously to his audience and pulled Cress closer for another kiss.

That was Thorne, through and through — fearless, unstoppable. She liked to think that she now was, too. After a year with Thorne, with her friends, traveling the globe twice over, she had finally realized that she no longer had to fantasize or pretend to be someone else. Somehow, she had become everything she ever wanted to be; had everything she had ever wished for.

She used to dream of living in a treehouse, but living in a spaceship was much more exciting and afforded much better views. She used to dream of being a world famous opera singer, but her captivated audience of one was equally as thrilling. She used to dream of being an explorer, setting courageously off into the wild unknown, but now she was a well-seasoned traveler and there were cafe owners in Paris and street vendors in Istanbul who knew her by name. She used to dream of belonging somewhere and now she had a family and with it, a home.

Cress cast her eyes upwards. It was the perfect day for remembrance and even though she had grown up fearing Luna, she was glad she was here today.

As if the palace could hear her thoughts, a knock came from the door.

It must be one of the palace maids well into her morning routine, but Cress wasn't ready to get up yet. Not yet, when she was in the middle of being grateful for everything she had. Not yet, when she was only now able to fully appreciate the cool silk bedding gliding against her legs. It was only now, with the sunlight fully encasing the room that she could make out the celestial pattern embroidered in gold and silver thread that dusted the fabric lined canopy of her four-poster bed.

No, she was not ready to get up yet, but that didn't stop the second round of rapping on her door.

Tap, tap, tap.

Cress sunk deeper into the bed. Perhaps the maid could come back later. She would even make the bed herself for throwing the maid off her schedule. She was on vacation after all. No one would fault her for staying in bed for an extra thirty minutes.

As if the maid disagreed with this reasoning, the door cracked open and someone slipped in.

Cress let out a soft sigh and made a show of turning her back and pulling the covers up to her face. Surely the maid would get the hint now.

She waited for the girl to shuffle out, but instead, she heard a breathless chuckle and someone tiptoeing towards her. Before she had a chance to turn around, the bed shifted with the weight of the intruder and the familiar scent of leather and tropical citrus hair mousse wafted towards her.

Cress buried her face into the miraculously soft pillow to stifle a giggle. Leave it to Thorne to make sure his hair was perfectly coiffed first thing in the morning.

He must have heard her because an arm reached underneath the covers and snaked over to land softly around her midsection and tow her backwards.

A surprised gasp escaped her mouth and Thorne answered with another amused chuckle. Cress bristled and gave the blankets a firm tug. She couldn't say she was surprised that Thorne had the audacity to barge into her bedroom and disrupt her sleep. But she could ignore him and not give him the satisfaction.

With her eyes still closed, she silently counted to ten, wondering when he'd give up. Although, if she were being completely honest, her current predicament wasn't so bad. Thorne was close enough now that Cress could feel his breath, warm and steady, against her neck. And being back in this room made her think of the time, almost exactly a year ago to the day, that they had laid in this bed and shared "I love you's."

It was enough to make Cress sigh with content and she wondered if Thorne was thinking the exact same thing, because his grip around her midsection tightened ever so slightly and he pressed a soft kiss against her bare shoulder.

Her skin erupted in gooseflesh and she held her breath, waiting to see what he would do next. He paused a heartbeat. Two. Then he pulled her just a little bit closer and kissed her shoulder a second time, and a third.

Cress felt herself melt and then she felt Thorne's smile against her skin. Her spine tingled and her stomach fluttered. She would have been content to stay like that all morning, with her fingers entwined with his and his chin nestled in the crook of her neck if it weren't for the tug in her chest. It was that tug that made her let out a happy sigh and then, ever so slowly, pull away from Thorne so that she could turn around to face him.

When Cress finally drew her eyes up to meet Thorne's, the grin he gave her made her a bit dizzy. He was still in his pajamas — worn cotton bottoms and a white t-shirt — but there was something about him that made her heart beat twice as fast. Maybe it was the way his eyes seemed twice as blue or twinkle twice as brightly than usual, but they put the glittery bed canopy to shame.

Thorne leaned forward half an inch and Cress stilled. It was as if time was waiting with baited breath along with her. He paused for a second, looking almost hesitant, then reached up to brush a strand of hair away from her face with his index finger. Cress closed her eyes and felt him press a tender kiss onto her forehead. As he eased back, Cress felt herself blush from the top of her head, down to her pinky toes.

In the past month or so, Thorne had begun giving her good morning forehead kisses, but those little pecks had always been when they were passing each other on the way to the bathroom or galley, or before he sat down in the pilot's seat in the cockpit. They had never felt intimate, until now.

Cress looked at him and was surprised to see the flush in his cheeks. She could feel her own growing warm.

The corner of Thorne's mouth twitched upwards, just enough for his dimples to make an appearance. "Hi," he said, but it was much too soft and breathy for any real sound to come out.

"Hi," Cress answered, equally as quiet, which made Thorne grin.

Feeling bold, Cress brought up her hand to lay onto Thorne's cheek. His smile made his morning stubble tickle the inside of her palm and she gently traced the crinkles around his mouth and eyes with her fingertips. Thorne closed his eyes and brought his hand up to cup hers.

A tiny giggle escaped Cress's mouth and Thorne smiled at her amusement.

He held her hand against his cheek for a second before giving it a gentle squeeze. He smiled again, closed his eyes, and pulled Cress's hand towards his mouth. One by one, he pressed the tip of each of her fingers to his lips and one by one the butterflies in her stomach fluttered. When he finally got to her pinky, he gave it two soft kisses and then pulled their hands down to rest on his chest.

The cotton of his t-shirt was worn to the perfect softness and Cress made a mental note to borrow it soon. She wondered if he could hear her thoughts because Thorne grinned again, eyes still closed, and gave her hand a soft squeeze, holding it close against him.

Cress smiled to herself and watched her hand being sandwiched between Thorne's heart and his hand. She could feel his heartbeat through the thin cotton and with the warmth of his hand cupping hers, she felt the steady drumming through her entire body.

As if it were a call to arms, Cress felt emboldened. She inched her body forward, close enough to feel Thorne's warmth radiating off of him, but far enough apart that they were still only holding hands. Thorne cracked an eye open and raised a curious eyebrow.

Cress felt herself blush, but she did not pull away.

Thorne watched her for a second, two, and then he reached over to twirl one of her curls. They both watched as the lock of hair danced around his finger.

Like a waltz, Cress thought.

When the twirling stopped, Thorne leaned in closer and Cress stilled herself for a kiss, but instead, he pressed the curl to his lips. Cress felt herself deflate, but before she could get too disappointed, Thorne ran his fingers through her hair and let his hand trail down her jaw. He cupped her face and she tilted her head back in anticipation. She felt her heart banging against her chest and was sure he could hear it, too.

Thorne leaned in, pausing for just a moment before touching his lips to Cress's. The kiss was surprisingly delicate, as if he was caught in a moment of uncertainty, but when Cress's lips urged him forward, Thorne leaned into it, parting his lips ever so slightly to drag against hers.

Her skin tingled and when she raised her hand to touch his jaw, her fingertips felt like they were on fire. She let out a soft sound of pure euphoria and he gave her another quick kiss before pulling away, a grin wide on his face.

Cress's smile mirrored Thorne's and she closed her eyes blissfully as Thorne's fingertips began to trail down her cheek, her neck, her shoulder, her arm. She imaged they were the Rampion and her skin was the universe splayed out for exploration — every inch, light years apart; every freckle, an unknown planet. It was fitting that they were laying beneath a canvas of stars.

Cress sighed happily as Thorne's fingertips traced hidden patterns along her skin and shivered whenever he caressed the ticklish spot by her elbow. He traced the outline of a heart on her shoulder and connected the freckles along her collar bone. He drew curly-q's on her back and ran each fingertip up and down the length of her ribs.

It was a comforting touch, an anchoring one. It made her feel tethered down to something solid and dependable. It was a touch that thrilled her and soothed her, that made her feel never alone, and made her feel like she was the only thing in the universe.

Thorne laid a resting hand on Cress's hip and let his thumb caress the stripe of exposed skin between her shorts and her tank top. He grazed her skin with the pad of his thumb, first with short back and forth motions and then gently drawing lazy circles onto her hip and then her stomach. Cress was nearly lulled back to sleep when Thorne's hand stopped. The pause felt too long, too abrupt, and then Cress knew why.

Thorne ran the pad of his thumb tenderly across the ridges of a scar. The touch was so delicate, it was almost as if he was afraid he was going to hurt her.

Cress often forgot it was even there. Thanks to the stasis pod and the deft hands of her Artemisian surgeons, the stripe of hard, raised skin wasn't worse, but it was still there and still very visible. If she were a more vain person, she might have been bothered by it, but she wasn't.

Sometimes when she caught herself in the bathroom's mirror getting out of the shower, it would surprise her, but there was a part of her that took pride in it. It was a badge she wore proudly — one that reminded her that she was a survivor.

Cress opened her eyes to find that Thorne's were closed, a deep crease sat between his eyebrows. She brought her hand up to his face to soothe the worry away. He was being stubborn and resisted her comforting.

It wasn't until she let out a little huff, that he opened his eyes and his face was full of torment. She stroked his cheek and when he opened his mouth, an apology on his tongue, Cress shook her head.

She refused to let him apologize. Not for this, not for something that he was forced against his will to do. He had no choice. He couldn't have fought it, even though he had tried so hard to. Her memory of the event was fuzzy and she was glad for it, but she remembered that he had called her name with so much pain and anguish that she wasn't sure who had hurt whom. No, he had no choice. It wasn't as though he had decided too…

She glanced at his right hand. Propping his head up, it was half hidden by his hair. Like with her own scar, more often than not, she forgot about Thorne's cybernetics. It was easy to since the only physical evidence was something that resembled an odd looking tan line where his real skin and the synthetic merged.

It was easy to forget about his cyborg fingers until he had to flex his hand to shake out the stillness, or strain himself during a rough landing because he still wasn't used to gripping the yolk as hard as he needed to.

Her eyes began to well up instantly, and before the first tears could fall, Thorne was cupping her face with both his hands to quell them away.

The fact that he was now comforting her was too much, and despite Thorne's best efforts, a tear slipped down Cress's nose to land on her silken pillow with a plop. The sound was much too loud for the stillness of the room and it shook them both out of their own self-pity.

Thorne circled Cress with his arms, pulling her close against his chest as he made soothing noises into her hair. She wiped her nose onto his shirt, which made the both of them laugh, and then nestled it in the hollow at the base of his neck.

They laid there, silently, taking turns to rub each other's back or exchange a kiss on the cheek, the nose, the lips. They took turns brushing hair away from each other's faces and playing connect the freckles. Thorne nuzzled Cress's neck with his nose and Cress hummed one of her favorite Lunar lullabies.

It hadn't been the morning that Cress had expected when she woke up, but then again, her whole life had unfolded in such spectacularly unpredictable ways — all those fantasies of heroics and exploits, true love and intrigue, they weren't frivolous or fool hearty. They had simply been preparing her for a life filled with adventure and romance.

As they laid there, Cress wasn't sure how much time had passed, but Thorne's breathing became slow and even. Cress cast her eyes upward to glance at the canopy of glittery stars. By now, the sun had shifted and the room was no longer splattered with fragments of light. Instead, it was filled with a warm honey glow.

Cress couldn't help but make the comparison to her own life. How quickly had all the shattered pieces of her existence come together and formed a world of warmth and happiness? Sure, it hadn't been easy, but nothing worth fighting for ever was. And she had fought for it. She had the scars to prove it.

They both did.

Beyond the bedroom door, Cress could hear footsteps muffled by the plush hallway carpet. Perhaps it was Cinder off to one of her morning meetings, or Wolf and Scarlet in search of breakfast, or perhaps the maids had finally reached this portion of the palace.

Cress turned back to Thorne, his eyes were closed and his breathing was steady and comforting. She let out a sigh of contentment, tucked her head under Thorne's chin, and closed her eyes.

* * *

A/N: Thank you as always to the wonderful zissa for beta'ing and helping me through this. I hope you all liked the conclusion of WTSGB. And also, part III is dedicated to the beautiful and talented shanlightyear. Happy birthday, darling!


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